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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Klonopin
        
(Message started by: ImFree on Mar 14^th, 2005, 5:30pm)

Title: Klonopin
Post by ImFree on Mar 14^th, 2005, 5:30pm

So I posted about 3 weeks ago about this drug and how I actually stumbled on it. I suffer from Claustrophobia and while flying my doctor gave me Klonopin which is an anti anxiety drug. He gave me a limited supply because it can be addictive (Im not sure why, they make me real tired) I took one 1mg pill the night before my flight and being a sufferer of CH's and in the middle of having them for the past 2 weeks straight every night - I was surprised I didnt have one the night I took the pill. The next 2 nights I didnt take the pill. I had CH's both nights. The night before the flight back I took a pill and didnt have a CH. So seeing as thought I had about 13 pills left I decided to break one in half and take it again at night before bed. I again had no CH. Next day. I didnt take one - yep had a CH. So since then I have taken the balance of the pills broken them in half .5 mg and have taken one every night for the last week. No CH. I am not kidding.
So 2 nights ago when I had to go to a party that went till midnight I didnt take a pill (because they do make you real tired) I got a major CH that night. Last night I took the pill. Yep - NO headach.

So the deal is. What is it about this drug that supresses the CH's? Love to hear. But I am Happy. I have an appt with my doc next week to discuss this with him.

Title: Re: Klonopin
Post by guesst on Mar 14^th, 2005, 5:35pm

Glad you are getting some relief! That is great news. :)

Title: Re: Klonopin
Post by ImFree on Mar 14^th, 2005, 5:37pm

I appreciate that. I cant tell you how excited I am and my family that I may have found something that worked after 24 years of annual pain. [smiley=laugh.gif]

Title: Re: Klonopin
Post by Mr. Happy on Mar 14^th, 2005, 7:37pm

Cool beans...........BUT.........it's a member of the
"pam" family.........clonazepam. Like diazi, lorazi, etc.
Valium.
Glad as a hornet you got relief, but not a recommended protocol. If "pams" worked, I'd be foot loose and fancy free.

102 channels on my cable TV,
RJ

Title: Re: Klonopin
Post by alleyoop on Mar 15^th, 2005, 4:57am

ImFree, glad to hear the good news. Really interesting, hope it keeps up. Let us know what your doc says.

...............alley

Title: Re: Klonopin
Post by Renee on Mar 15^th, 2005, 6:06am

What is Clonazepam?
• Clonazepam is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. Clonazepam affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause seizures.
• Clonazepam is used to treat seizures.
• Clonazepam may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

Klonopin originally was produced as an anti-seizure med. Topomax, Zonegran, etc. etc. that are taken for clusters are also anti-seizure meds.

Title: Re: Klonopin
Post by Lizzie2 on Mar 15^th, 2005, 8:45pm

Klonopin is a great med for certain things, although not specifically used for CH. It doesn't work at all in the same way as the typical anti-seizure meds. But then, anti-seizure meds are actually pretty 50/50 even in treating migraine, let alone their use in cluster looks even slimmer based on the success rates we have seen (or rather not seen) in some of the messages on the board!

I would suspect (now this is really just speculation) that depending on your dose of Klonopin, it worked like a sleeping pill for you. It allowed you to sleep through the night, and it might just have overpowered your hypothalamus in waking you up with cluster attacks. That would explain why you still had the clusters on nights you didn't take the Klonopin.

I actually take it for Restless Leg Syndrome and as a sleeping pill. I take 1mg at bedtime. I'm supposed to take 0.5mg at 4pm, but I never really do because I don't want to be so tired so early in the day. I'm tired enough as it is! It has provided me with much more restful sleep most of the time, although the past few nights the cluster beast has been back in rare form, and I've gotten very little sleep...despite the klonopin and other meds I take.

Keep in mind that as a benzodiazepine, it does have potential for tolerance, dependence, and addiction (all 3 of these are separate entities...yet can be interrelated!) Tolerance and dependence are pretty big issues for almost anyone who takes a benzo. For instance, 1mg may just not be cutting it for me at night anymore. I don't want to increase the dose right now, but my body may have developed a tolerance to my current dose so that I need a higher dose to achieve the same effect.

As far as dependence....withdrawal from benzos is wicked... Very not fun. Once you start taking a med like Klonopin daily, it is VERY important to take the dose as prescribed and not just "as needed" unless it is ordered that way. (I used to have Ativan ordered "as needed.") Because I take Klonopin regularly every night, if I were to stop it, I could potentially go through mega benzo withdrawal, which I'm not really in the mindframe to deal with at this time..because the med actually really does help me.

One thing that is VERY important to remember about the benzos is that abrupt withdrawal...or stopping them cold turkey after being on them regularly for a period of time, can actually CAUSE seizures. This is an extremely important factor to remember about these medications. If you are prescribed to take it regularly, NEVER discontinue it without the supervision of a physician or other qualified health care professional. Nobody needs to add a diagnosis of a seizure disorder on top of what we already have!

I'm glad the klonopin is helping you with the clusters, although I would have to go back to what I said above that I think it is probably helping you sleep through the night...thus avoiding the nightly attacks. It may work for a period of time, but it may not work always. That is a potential benefit, though! Especially for those of us who suffer primarily night-time attacks...being able to sleep through the night without getting hit is a BIG deal...and so maybe that's how it is helping you!

Who knows...but I guess time will tell! Just be careful and make sure you are in contact with your doctor regarding any issues with the medication...also the dose you are taking, etc. Do not mix with alcohol!!!

Best of luck to you!
L2 :)